Method of and machine for treating flexible veneered sheets



June 9, 1931. A. ELMENDORF 1,309,631

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR TREATING FLEXIBLE VENEERED SHEETS Filed Dec. 11. 1929 5 Sheets'-Sheet l June 9, 1931. ELMENDORF 1,809,681

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR TREATING FLEXIBLE VENEERED SHEETS Filed Dec. 11. 1929 5 Sheets- Sheet 2 June 9, 1931. ELMENDORF 1,809,681

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR TREATING FLEXIBLE VENEERED SHEETS Filed De c. 11, 1929 5 Shegts-Sheec 3 *B Q I a II i 'i W 1!; I

I IN 5| 1 June 9, 1931. A. ELMENDORF METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR TREATING FLEXIBLE VENEERED SHEETS Filed Dec.

11, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Jun 9, 1931.

A. ELMENDORF 1,809,681

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR-TREATING FLEXIBLE VENEERED SHEETS F iled Dec. 11, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 progressive splitting along closely-spaced Patented June 9, 1 931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARMIN ELMENDORE'OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOIR. TO FLEXWOOD COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR TREATING FLEXIBLE V'ENEEBED SHEETS Application filed December 11, 1929. Serial No. 413,192.

The present invention relates to the artof giving a characteristic of pliability or limpness to wood veneer, whereby it will lie smooth and flat and be free from visible cracks or breaks;

- 5 and has for its objects to produce a simple and novel method forgiving to wood veneer this desirable characteristic, and to produce a machine for carrying out the improved method. The material to be operated upon is wood veneer glued to a backing of strong'paper or other flexible material. As pointed out in my prior applications, the warping and splitting of the veneer in a material 'of this kind I may be avoided by partially disintegrating the veneer along closely-spaced lines extending in the general direction of the grain; the

I result being that, due to the fact that the veneer is broken or turn or split in perhaps thousands of places, no line of division will be observed by the naked eye when the material is laid fiat, and the capacity for warp ing or curling has been destroyed.

I have found that the most effective way of partially disintegrating the veneer is progressively to stress it across the grain beyond the rupture point. Viewed in one ofits aspects, the present invention may be said to have for its objects to produce a simple and novel method of and machine for progressively plained. I

In carrying out my invention I employ a cooperating roller of small diameter and a cushion between which the work is laid with the veneered face against the cushion and the backing against-the roller. The cushion and the roller, either or both, are then so manipulated that the roller presses the work sharply into the cushion, while the roller runs along the work, progressively moving the indentation in the work across the same. The roller lies parallel with the general direction of the grain and its diameter is small enough to produce a sufiiciently sharp bend in the sheet to cause the wood to split inwardly from the outer face or surface. As the roller moves along the sheet the indentation constitutes a wave that travels progressively from one end of the sheet to the other, bringing about a stressing the veneer in the manner just exlines extending in the general direction of the grain. The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects'and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side view of a machine by means of which my improved process may be carried out efliciently; Fig; 2 is a view of the opposite side of the machine from that shown in Fig. 1 Fig. 3 is an end view of the machine with the central part broken away, the work being shown in place on the left hand side section and being omitted from the right hand side section, and fragments of the right hand side section being broken away;Fig. 4 is a vertical section, on an enlarged scale, taken approximately on line 44 of Fig. 3, only the upper part of the machine being shown; Fig. 5 is an elevation, on a still larger scale, of a fragment of the roll on which the small rollers are mounted; Fig. 6 is a section on line 66 of Fig. 5 Fig. 7 is a section on the made clearthereby.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a suitable frame composed of vertical side members and connecting cross pieces. Rotatably mounted in the top of the frame, atone end of the machine is a transverse arbor 2. The arbor may conveniently extend through bearing boxes v3 adapted to be. entered from above into suitable bearing seats, 4. Wound upon the arbor is the sheet A to be treated. This sheet is carried from the roll B on the arbor, through the treating mechanism to be hereinafter described, to a second transverse arbor 5 at the opposite end of the machine; this arbor being conveniently mounted in bearing boxes 6 adapted to slide freely, up and down, between long vertical guides 7. As will hereinafter be explained, the sheet is fed continuously through the machine, the advance end being wound on the arbor 6 and forming thereon a roll that increases gradu ally in diameter; this roll as a whole being indicated at C. p The roll C rests on two transverse drums8 and 9 rotatably mounted in the frame beneath the roll G on opposite sides of a vertical plane containing the long axis of the arbor 5. Assuming that both of the drums 8 and 9 are rotated at a predetermined speed in the counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1, it will be seen that they will act as frictional drives to turn the roll C in a direction to wind up the sheet. The surface speed of the drums being constant,the rate at which the sheet is wound on the roll remains constant as the roll increases in diameter and its bearings rise between the guides; this being for the reason that the roll is driven from the periphery, whereby its angular speed decreases as the roll increases in size, the surface speed remaining the same.

The sheet A, as best shown in Figs! 7 and 8, consists of a layer of wood veneer a glued to a flexible backing al in the form of a strong paper or other suitable material. The roll of material to be treated is so placed in the machine that the veneer is on the upper side as the sheet is drawn olf the roll. The general direction of the grain of the wood is transverse, namely, more or .less parallel with the arbors 2 and 5.

- The end of the sheet, after leaving the roll B, passes over a transverse rotatable drum 10, underneath a larger transverse rotatable drum 11, and up over a third transverse drum 12, and thence to the roll C. As best shown in Fig. 4, the drum 11 is covered with a thick cushion 14. I have found that soft rubber can successfully be used as the cushioning material. The parts are so proportioned and arranged that the drums 10 and 12 press the sheet against the central drum 11, so that the sheet lies snugly against the lower section of the central drum.

Below the drum 11 is another drum 15. Surrounding the drum 15 and extending parallel with the cylindrical elements thereof are numerous hard rollers 16 of small diameter; these rollers extending throughout the entire length of the drum. The parts are so propor tioned, as best shown in Figs. 7 and 8, that as the sheet A passes between the drums 11 and 15, one or more of the small rollers will press the sheet into the cushion on the drum 11, making a sharp bend or wave in the sheet. If now the drum 11 is rotated, or if both of the drums 11 and 15 are rotated so as to produce a.

stopped acting on the sheet; thereby insuring that every part of the sheet will have been subjected to the comparatively abrupt bending or waving action while passing between the drums-11 and 15.

The effect on the veneer of forming the abrupt indentation or wave is illustrated in Fig. 8. The veneer being on the outer side of the bend, and being forced to take a definite curvature by the pressure of the cushioning material on the roll 11, is strongly stressed across the grain, this stressing being beyond the rupture point. Consequently the veneer splits, as indicated by the small more or less radial lines a2 in Fig. 8. The pressure of the cushion over the entire curvedarea probably prevents the veneer from adjusting itself so as to permit it to split only along a weak line, and therefore it will split along a number of comparatively closely-spaced lines. At any rate, the lines on which the veneer is split are found to be closely spaced. When the sheet is again flattened, the edges separated through the splitting of the veneer come together again so that no visible cracks are left in the surface. However, the capacity of the veneer to curl or warp has been destroyed and the veneer will remain flexible nomatter how dry.

The small rollers may conveniently be as-i being held in spaced relation to each other,

while capable of rotating independently of each other about their own long axes. The two rings may be connected together by means of long bars or slats 19 alternating with the rollers, and each secured at its ends to the rings by screws 20. The rings, with the intervening small rollers and slats, may revolve freely on the drum. Because the rollers are usually very long and of small diameter, meansmay be provided, at intervals along the same, to prevent them from bending outwardly through centrifugal action. Means may also be provided to hold them against the drum in the working zone. In the arrangement shown there are three heavy rods 23, 24 and 25 spaced about 120 apart around and extending parallel with the drum 15; the rod 23 lying directly below the drum and the rods 24 and 25 at opposite sides of the working zone. Two sets of curved arms 26 and 27 extend upwardly from the rod 23 to the rods 24 and 25, respectively; the rods passing through the arms and holding them close to the rollers. Extending lengthwise of the drum, underneath the upper ends of the arms of each set isa wide shoe 28 lying close to the small rollers; only a few of the rollers being exposedin the gapbetween the inner edges of these shoes the few rollers that happen to be in'this gap at any given moment being the ones that are actually in position to act on the work.

In order to secure the difierential speed and thereby permit the sheet to be fed along and the rollers to roll efiectively over the same, the drum 15 may conveniently be driven more rapidly than the drum 11. In the arrangement shown I have provided gearing which will cause the drum 15 to turn at about twice the surface speed of the drum 11. A

transverse shaft 30 behind the drum 15 may be regarded as the driving shaft. As best shown in Fig. 2, there is a sprocket chain 31 passing around a sprocket wheel 32 on one end of the shaft 30 and over a sprocket wheel 33 mounted on the frame below and near one end of the drums 8 and 9. On the drum 8 is a gear wheel 34, and on the drum 9 is a similar gear-wheel 35. Fixed to the sprocket wheel 33 is a pinion 36that meshes with both of the gear wheels 34 and 35, thereby driving them and the drums 8 and 9 inthe same direction. On the shaft 30, on the opposite side of the machine, is a pinion 37 that meshes with a pinion 38 which in turn meshes with agear wheel 39 on the drum 15. Fixed to the pinion 37 is a pinion 40 meshing with an idler gear wheel 41. Fixed to the idler gear wheel is a pinion 42 that meshes with a gear wheel 43 on the drum 12. The gear wheel 43 meshes with a gear wheel 44 on the drum 11 and the gear wheel 44, in turn, meshes with a gear wheel 45 on the drum 10. The parts are so proportioned that the drums 10, 11 and 12 and the drums 8 and 9 are driven at the same peripheral speed, so that the sheet will be drawn off the roll B, carried through the machine, and wound on the roll C without producing slack in the sheet or placing it under undesirable tension. At the same time the drum 15 is driven at about twice the surface speed of the drum 11 or, in other words, at about twice the speed the sheet is advancing; thereby giving the hard rollers an opportunity to roll along the advancing sheet.

It will therefore be seen that the composite sheet is efl'ectively worked as it is drawn rapidly from a roll and wound up upon another roll, the working process being a continuous one. Consequently the cost of treating the sheet-so as to render the veneer limp and incapable of curling or warping, without marring the appearance of the surface of the veneer, is carried out very quickly and with the broad principles on which the machine is illustrated, as it will be evident from the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims'.

I claim 1. The method of treating a sheet composed of a flexible backing and a facing of wood veneer glued thereto, which consists in plac ing the sheet between a cushion and a roller of small diameter with the veneer on the side toward the cushion and the grain of the wood extending in the general direction of the long axis of the roller, and moving the cushion and roller relatively to each other under pressure so as to cause the roller to roll over the sheet and form therein a bend travelling progressively across the sheet and suficiently sharp to stress the veneer across the grain beyond the rupture point. 1

2. The method of treating a sheet composed of a flexible backing and a facing of wood veneer glued thereto, which consists in laying the sheet on a cushion with the veneer on the side toward the cushion, and pressing down upon and running over the sheet a roller of small diameter extending in the general direction of the grain of the wood, thereby progressively stressing the veneer across the grain beyond the rupture point.

3. A machine of the character described comprising a cushion, a rotatable drum adjacent to the cushion, a series of rollers resting onand distributed about the drum with their long axes parallel with the long axis of the drum, the parts being so proportioned that each roller is pressed into the cushion when brought opposite the latter during the rotation of the drum, and means for rotating the drum and producing a relativemovement of the drum along the cushion.

4. In a machine of the character described, a drum having a cushioned peripheral surface, a second rigid drum parallel to the first drum, a series'of small rollers distributed about the second drum and arrangedparallel to the long axis of the latter, means holding said rollers in rolling contact with said second drum, and means for rotating said drums, the parts being so proportioned and arranged that each roller is pressed into the cushion 0n the first drum in passing over the latter.

5. In a machine of the character described, a drum having a cushioned peripheral surface, a second rigid drum parallel to the first drum, a series of small rollers distributed to the long axis of the latter, means aboutithe second drum and arranged parallel the parts being so proportioned and arranged i that each roller is pressedinto the cushion in passing over the latter.

6. A machine of the character described comprisin a cushion, a rotatable drum ad-. jacent to t he cushion, a series of rollers resting on and distributed about the drum with their long axes parallel with the long axis of the latter, retaining means associated with the rollers and the drum to hold the rollers on the drum and permit them to roll around the same, the parts being so proportioned that each roller is pressed into the cushion when brought opposite the latter during the rotation of the roll, and means for rotating the roll and producing a relative movement of the roll along the cushion.

7. In a machine of the character described, a drum having a cushioned peripheral surface, a second rigid drum parallel to the first drum, a series of small rollers distributed about the second drum and arranged parallel to the long axis of the latter, a cage holding I said rollers on the second drum and permitting them to move bodily around the latter while in rolling contact therewith, and means for rotating said drums, the parts being so proportioned and arranged that each roller is pressed into the cushion on the first drum in passing over the latter.

8. In a machine of the character described, a drum having a cushioned peripheral surface, a second rigid drum parallel to the first drum, a series of small rollers distributed about the second drum and arranged parallel to the long axis of the latter, means holding said rollers in rolling contact with said second drum, means for rotating said drums in the same direction and at different speeds, the parts being so proportioned and arranged that each roller is pressed into the cushion on the first drum in passing over the latter, and means for drawing a sheet between said drums at the same speed as the surface speed of the first drum.

9. In a machine of the character described, a drum having a cushioned peripheral surface, a second rigid drum parallel to the first drum, 1 a series of small rollers distributed about the second drum and arranged parallel to the long axis of the latter, means holding said rollers in rolling contact with said second drum, means for rotating said drums in the same direction and at difierent speeds, the parts being so proportioned and arranged that each roller is pressed into the cushion on the first drum in passing over the latter, means for drawing a sheet between said drums at the same speed as the surface speed of the first drum, and means for holding the sheet in contact with a considerable area of the first drum on the side directed toward the other drum.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification.

ARMIN ELMENDORF. 

